Rev Chris Dowd says both sides of the sexuality argument are finally listening to each other.

It's hard to believe that there was a time when people of faith argued about who could eat with whom; or that people argued fiercely that men needed to be circumcised to join churches; or that slavery was a Christian blessing, designed to educate and save souls.

Yet all of these arguments and ideological positions have been part of the Church's history.

Human sexuality, particularly homosexuality and bisexuality, is one of the controversies currently gripping the Church. This seems positively medieval for many people in a society which has openly LGBT politicians; soldiers and celebrities. Just about everyone knows someone who is a happy, well-adjusted, homosexual or bisexual. To be honest, most people think it's odder that I'm a Christian in 2009.

Hugh Jackman gave up his dancing dreams over gay jibe

Hugh Jackman has announced that despite wanting to be a dancer when he was a child, he gave up his dreams after his older brother accused him of being gay.
The 40-year-old X-Men Origins: Wolverine star said in an interview with Time Out: "In another world, another life, probably growing up in another country, I might have been more of a dancer. In fact I was going down that road when I was about 12.
"I was encouraged to do that, and I remember my brother saying, 'Ah, you poof,' so I gave it up. I dropped it like a hot rock. I didn't have the guts of Billy Elliot at the time!

"I think was about 11 actually, I wasn't even 100 per cent sure what it [poof] meant but I knew this wasn't cool. Then later when I was about 18, I remember thinking this is just ridiculous; I enjoyed dancing."

Jackman recently told Parade magazine: "I'd be happy to go and deny being gay, because I'm not.

"But by denying it, I'm saying there is something shameful about it, and there isn't anything shameful."

Reaching out to gay rights groups is one of Tory leader David Cameron's top five priorities, it has been claimed.

A shadow cabinet member told ConservativeHome.com blogger Tim Montgomerie that the move is part of Cameron's drive "to show that 'new Toryism' is still alive and kicking".

Along with outreach to gay groups, his other priorities will include increasing promotion of female and ethnic minority candidates, concentrating on environmental policies, more focus on Tory spending on the NHS and international development and increasing social justice initiatives, the unnamed MP claimed.

An employment tribunal has decided that Manchester's Lesbian and Gay Foundation unfairly dismissed an employee.

Molly Dunn, a therapeutic services manager, won her case against the LGF.

She had also claimed age discrimination against the charity and its senior officers at the time, chief executive Paul Martin, who is still in his post, and deputy chief executive Jacqui Cross, who is now head officer for equality and diversity at Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council.

Around 150 demonstrators are expected to protest at a 'gay cure' conference in London tomorrow.

The conference, which has been denounced by gay groups, will feature Joseph Nicolosi, who claims reparative therapy can 'cure' homosexuality.

It is expected to be held at the Emmanuel Centre in Marsham Street, central London.

Held by the Anglican Mainstream Organisation, the event will have "a special focus on how religious professionals and friends/relatives can respond biblically and pastorally to those struggling with unwanted SSA (same-sex attraction)".

According to the organisation, the conference is "ideal for clergy, rabbis, psychologists, therapists, educators and others concerned about the plethora of sexual issues confronting us in today's society, including mentoring the sexually broken, the sexualisation of culture, pornography, the Bible and sex, and marriage, the family and sex".

Last week the only openly gay peer in the House of Lords launched a bold attempt to prevent history repeating itself.

Waheed Alli is collecting and marshalling public opinion in the hope of forcing the House of Lords, known as the place equality legislation goes to die, to pass the government's upcoming Equality Bill.

It's hard to believe that the Miss USA beauty pageant – run by Donald Trump, hosted by Billy Bush of, yes, that Bush clan, and judged by, among others, the star-wannabe gossip blogger Perez Hilton – could have gotten any stupider than its intrinsic inanity, but when Hilton used the Q&A portion of the pageant to ask frontrunner and "sweet Christian girl" Carrie Prejean (Miss California) whether same-sex marriage should be legalized, her answer managed to plunge the proceedings to yet another nadir:

Miss California USA produced the most controversial moment of the Miss USA contest in answering a question about gay marriage

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OY-1cybT6p8

he legal profession has come a long way in recent years, with many - but not all - lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender (LGBT) people no longer having to fear that their chance of partnership will be jeopardised if lunchtime conversations turn to discussions about weekend activities.

Yet while the profession will gladly pat itself on the back for finally recognising and welcoming the Ls, Gs, Bs and Ts who have always been in their midst, there is still a tendency to pigeonhole those LGBT colleagues. But as one gay member of the profession says: "I know gay people who are trainspotters and who mend motorbikes. Not all gay people are baking up quiches and redecorating their lounges."

Study aims to establish if gay and lesbian lawyers are coming up against a different glass ceiling

Stephen Shea
The first major study into how being gay affects a lawyer's potential for career advancement is underway, with the Law Society working alongside the InterLaw Diversity Forum and gay rights group Stonewall to identify the obstacles faced by lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) lawyers.

In a survey to be released across the profession this Thursday (23 April), the three organisations will ask 35 questions with a view to improving law firm recruitment and retention, informing firms of Law Society equality and diversity work and providing information for individual solicitors on how sexuality interacts with career advancement.